Blog Archives

Between 1998 and 2008, poultry, fish and beef were consistently responsible for the greatest proportion of foodborne illness outbreaks, according to a new government analysis.

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed the 13,405 food-related outbreaks reported during this time period, identifying 3,264 outbreaks that could be attributed to a specific food category. Fish and poultry remained responsible for the greatest share of these outbreaks over these 20 years — accounting for about 17 percent of outbreaks each — followed closely by beef, which was responsible for 14 percent of outbreaks.

Eggs, on the other hand, played an increasingly smaller role as outbreak sources – accounting for 6 percent of outbreaks in 1998-1999 and for just 2 percent in 2006-2008. This trend was largely due to a decrease in the amount of Salmonella outbreaks linked to eggs, according to the report authors.

Leafy greens became a more common outbreak source, responsible for 6 percent of outbreaks in 1998-1999 and 11 percent by 2008-2009. Dairy also grew as an outbreak source, rising from 4 percent in the beginning of the period studied to 6 percent by 2006-2008.

The researchers also looked at the leading pathogen-food combinations that caused outbreaks during the 20-year window, finding that histamine in fish was the most common outbreak source, followed by ciguatoxin in fish, Salmonella in poultry and norovirus in leafy vegetables.

“You see the same combinations of pathogens and foods repeatedly,” said Hannah Gould, epidemiologist in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases at CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and lead author of the report. “It’s good to keep tracking that and now to have a method to continue to look at changes over time,” Gould commented in an interview with Food Safety News.

The authors note that the number of outbreaks linked to these commodities should not be confused with the number of illnesses caused by these foods, as outbreaks result in varying numbers of illnesses.

While poultry was responsible for the largest share of illnesses (17 percent) between 1998 and 2008, leafy greens were the next greatest cause of illness, accounting for 13 percent of the 67,752 illnesses attributed to an outbreak food source.

The pathogen/commodity pairs responsible for the most outbreak-related illnesses were norovirus and leafy vegetables, which led to 4,011 illnesses of the 67,752 linked to a designated commodity category.

The team also looked at food preparation, finding that restaurants and delis accounted for the vast majority (68 percent) of the places where outbreak-linked foods were prepared. Private homes were the next most common place of preparation, at 9 percent, followed by catering or banquet facilities (7 percent).

“That’s something interesting that we talk about here more than we usually do,” said Gould, referring to the location data, which CDC doesn’t often report in its reviews of foodborne illness data.

Outbreaks after 2008

What about outbreaks that have occurred since 2008? Have these trends continued or have they changed in the past few years?

“Leafy greens and norovirus continues to be a problem and norovirus has been the number one cause of outbreaks in our data for years and years and years and has remained that way,” said Gould.

Gould also led an analysis of foodborne illness outbreaks that occurred between 2009 and 2010 — published in January of this year — which found that during that period, beef, dairy, fish, and poultry were associated with the largest number of foodborne disease outbreaks.

That report also showed that unpasteurized dairy products are the leading cause of dairy-related outbreaks, accounting for 81 percent of the outbreaks linked to dairy during that time period. Gould said the 1998-2008 report shows that the incidence of raw dairy-related outbreaks has been growing over this time.

“Outbreaks caused by dairy went up as well, and that seems to be caused by an increasing number of outbreaks due to unpasteurized milk,” she said.

The data used for this report comes from CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, which was started by CDC in 1973 and went online in 1998. The authors chose 1998-2008 as their reporting period because the format of the database changed starting in 2008, when it became the National Outbreak Reporting System.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

Yesterday the New York Produce Show held it’s tradeshow and with 5,000 attendees and more than 400 exhibitors, the show is still growing. Exhibitors were very pleased with the amount of visitors, not only with the amount but also the time they stayed at the tradeshow. It stayed busy till approximately 1 hour before the end of the show.

Although the tradeshow is classified as a regional show, exhibitors from California and Washington didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Some exhibitors said that the show is growing in a way, that it may be not a regional show any more in a couple of years. However it is still the objective of the organisers.

This trend also shows the importance of the North-Eastern United States market.

Today the show has different tours, and on Monday a photo report will follow on www.FreshPlaza.com.

The second edition of the London Produce Show and Conference will take place at Grosvenor House, a JW Marriot hotel on Park Lane, London, on June 3-5, 2015.

The 2015 show will stand out once again as the UK’s produce event of the year, attracting a full house of exhibitors and attendees from around the globe to London for a boutique one-day trade exhibition. The show will be complemented by a series of educational seminars, chef demonstrations, a gala cocktail reception, student programme and a thought leaders breakfast panel hosted by world-renowned Perishable Pundit Jim Prevor.

Presented jointly by the UK’s trade association for the fruit, vegetable and flower industries – Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), and Produce Business magazine, the 2014 London Produce Show and Conference was the talk of the UK produce scene. The 127 exhibition booths filled Europe’s largest five-star exhibition area at the Grosvenor House covered virtually every produce category and a wide mix of the countries that provide produce into the UK market. Retail, wholesale and foodservice buyers from not only the UK, but Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Canada, the USA, South Africa, the Middle East and Russia added to the international flavour and spread the opportunity to create new business far beyond the British border.

Well over 1,000 attendees had ample time to cover the show floor and were also presented with a series of occasions that allowed them to share and learn from each other, build new relationships and enjoy the sumptuous surroundings of the venue.

Vision for 2015Next year’s event promises a similarly enriching experience, but organisers have pledged to pull out the stops to deliver yet more value to every exhibitor and attendee. Tommy Leighton, managing director of the show, said: “It was very important to us to secure a second year at this fantastic venue as it really did deliver an experience that you just don’t ordinarily get at trade shows. The deliberately limited number of exhibitors is given every chance to be seen and heard, and every visitor the opportunity to see the entire show floor – that is always our number one aim. The venue provides the ideal backdrop for a relatively informal and convivial atmosphere that exhibitor feedback tells us was conducive to building relationships and importantly, doing business.

“The shows within the show – our fantastic line-up of top London and New York chefs (led by Show Ambassador Valentine Warner in 2014) and seminars and workshops were also a great hit, taking place on the balcony above the main show floor, so no-one had to venture far from the action to find great food, excellent company and fascinating, educational entertainment. Watch out over the next few weeks and months for our announcements of new and exciting features in 2015.”

Produce Business is also an organiser of the New York Produce Show and Conference, which is all set for its fifth edition in the Big Apple on December 2-4, 2014. Editor in chief of the magazine Jim Prevor said: “We were so grateful to the produce industry for their overwhelming support of the brand-new concept we launched in London this year. This is no ordinary trade show, and the unparalleled positive feedback we have received would suggest that just about everyone present recognised what we were trying to achieve and bought into it wholeheartedly.

“Having done something with the same ethos and objectives in New York, we were pretty confident that the UK market would see the value of the London show, but in the first year of course you still rely on the forward-thinking and hungry businesses to spot the huge opportunities that lie within such an event. That so many people did was extremely gratifying and it is that belief that drives us forward with a desire to deliver an even better show next year.”

Further information will be released through various media over the coming months, but for background information on the event and to view videos and a flipbook from the 2014 show, go to www.londonproduceshow.co.uk